Fans joined in on the Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session with Ransom Riggs today to get the scoop on everything from A Map of Days release (OCTOBER 2!!!!) to the integrity of chocolate chip cookies. But if you missed it, don’t worry – we’ve pulled out the best answers including a VERY specific cookie preference and some shocking news …spoiler alert: Ransom Riggs is a DNF-er!

Check out the full Reddit AMA HERE

*grabs popcorn*

He and Tahereh Mafi love to write together

Get ready to say awww. Ransom admitted he and his wife share a writing space and write their separate books together, then show each other their work at the end of the day.

“Some people need absolute silence and total privacy, but I find it very motivating to glance over and see her typing away in a burst of inspiration — it gets my fingers moving, too!”

#dreamteam

He has too many ideas!

Apparently, A Map of Days took an unusual amount of time to write.

“I always dream up a thousand more plot points that I’ll ever be able to use.”

We can’t really blame him. The peculiar gang set loose in America? The POSSIBILITIES.

The new book cover is important

Although he had to keep this part pretty hush-hush because spoilers, we do know that the little lady on the A Map of Days cover is both “very important” and that we’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the next book. Could a new peculiar be joining the gang??

The name Enoch came from a short story called “Enoch and the Gorilla” by Flannery O’Conner

Although Riggs mentioned he doesn’t associate the meaning of the name with the story or author, he found it to be the perfect fit the our favorite little grave-raiser. “It has a certain funereal ring to it that fits Enoch’s character.”

The book features some close-to-home journeys

“A Map of Days is a road trip book. The journey mirrors many I made as a kid growing up in south Florida, where just to get out of the state you’ve got to drive eight or nine hours north.”

Sounds like we’ll get to tag along with the peculiars for a stroll down memory lane.

Wait a minute…it actually sounds like we’ll be roadtripping with the peculiars. *gasp*

His wife created one of his favorite characters

Get ready to aww again. Alice Alexis Queensmeadow from Tahereh Mafi’s novel Furthermore is one of Ransom’s very favorite literary characters alongside Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.

Those vintage photos are a blessing and a curse

As much as we love those vintage photos, apparently it can be kind of tough sometimes to find ones that fit into the story.

“Once in a while I’ll still design a scene or a character around a photo I love, but most of the time I’m looking for visual material that supports the ideas already in play. It’s a give-and-take.”

We appreciate the extra work you do to bring those photos to life, Ransom!

Ransom Riggs is #relatable

Have you had to DNF a few books on your ever-growing TBR list?

Yeah. Us too. And it turns out Ransom is on the struggle bus as well.

“My TBR pile is very high, and if something’s not holding my interest, I’m pretty quick to jettison it and pick up the next book.”

To top it all off, he keeps running out of bookmarks from all the DNFing. #thestruggleisreal #bookmarksforRansomRiggs

He has very strong opinions about chocolate chip cookies

Prepare yourself.

“The chip-to-dough ratio is crucial — it should be 50-60% chips but no more, or you’re sacrificing the integrity of the cookie — and it should be soft enough that you can bend it a bit without the cookie breaking, but not so soft that it falls apart. Best of all, cookies are portable.”

You might be thinking that’s awfully specific, but the more you think about it…the more it makes sense.

Be sure to pick up a copy of A Map of Days, hitting shelves October 2, 2018